Monday, June 29, 2009

Regression Therapy. Brunch, Marmalade @ Bangsar Shopping Village 2

"Regression is a form of retreat, going back to a time when the person felt safer and where the stresses in question were not known, or where an all-powerful parent would take them away."

interior of marmalade

"My only nostalgias are literary ones. My eyes fill with tears at the memory of my childhood but they are rhythmical tears in which some piece of prose is already in preparation. I remember it as something external to me and remember it through external things ; I remember only external things."

Was in the vicinity, and decided to get a bit of chow, because I missed breakfast in the morning. Decided to drop into Marmalade, after hearing some good things about the place. It's very hard to describe the decor of this place. Tasteful grey, halogen downlights, bright and cheery atmosphere with a mural on the wall resembling childish squiggles it induces calm and brings about a feeling of innocence. Bright and airy, plus a folkish soundtrack playing in the background, i felt like sucking my thumb again. The table tops unfortunately are stained and in dire need of replacement.

Paw Paw Salad. The colour is so vibrant!

"It isn't the cosy warmth of provincial evenings that fills me with tender feelings for my childhood but the way the table was laid for tea, the shapes of the furniture placed around the house, people's faces and physical gestures. My nostalgia is for certain pictures of the past."

Ordered the Paw Paw Salad. Technically, they were using Papaya and not the Paw Paw fruit. Capsicum, pine nuts and chicken meat and deep fried vermicelli strands completes this healthy amalgamation. It came lightly drizzled with vinaigrette dressing?. Visually appealing with lots of reds, high in fibre and antioxidants, it is not only delicious, but healthy as well. What a great way to start the day!

Lebanese Roll with Turkey Ham and Spinach

Next was the Lebanese roll with Turkey Ham and Spinach. Moist and filled with cheese and sweetened sauce, it was good. Another winner!

Sunrise over the East Coast Highway, Maran

"That's why I feel as much tenderness for my own childhood as for someone else's : lost in some indefinite past, they are both purely visual phenomena that I perceive with my literary mind. I do feel tenderness, not because I remember, but because I see."

Fernando Pessoa ~ Book of Disquiet

Completed the brunch with a Long Black and Fruit Juice. Dining at Marmalade was a strange experience. Somehow or another, it evokes memories of childhood, a time when everything was beautiful, simple and safe. I was a child again and the world is my oyster again. The food was comforting and good and the ambiance innocent and uncluttered.

Service was excellent, but the whole experience was spoiled by a table nearby, occupied by 2 Malay ladies, chatting away in English loudly with a very very local accent, bitching away about their colleagues. I quickly pressed the eject button. Sigh...

3 comments:

The salad looks great. But i like papaya somtam for brunch :D Looks like KL is finally catching up with BKK in terms of eateries. Betcha to my last Baht that you are missing Baan Kanitha and Celadon :p

Yes, I am missing our favourite haunts during my sojourn in BKK. Missing them terribly would be the appropriate word.

And though the food in KL may not be up to standard in some places, and the abundance of Italian eateries in Bangkok and the sheer opulence of the restaurants (sirroco, blue elephant, celadon) in Bangkok drives KL to shame, you will find that the food here is down to earth together with the prices.

You are probably surprised by the interior of Marmalade, yes? Nothing at all like Enoteca's chapel like atmosphere? Well, as I said, people here are more down to earth. Even the hair of our Khunyings are not as high and large (except PM's wife) as the ones in BKK.

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